Judy Watson is one of Australia's most globally collected and exhibited artists. Her practice is centred on truth-telling as a Waanyi woman, particularly in relation to environmental protection; historic government policies concerning Indigenous Australians; and collecting institutions that house cultural material often acquired under distressing circumstances. She refers to her research-driven practice as 'rattling the bones of the archive'.
mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson is the first Australian state gallery monograph published on Watson and includes paintings, videos, sculptures and select print works from key moments in her 30-year career. Its title, from a poem in Waanyi language by the artist's son Otis Carmichael, translates as 'tomorrow the tree grows stronger'.
This beautifully designed hard-cover book features an in-depth examination of Watson's practice and biography by curator Katina Davidson; essay on Watson's international significance by Métis curator Tarah Hogue; interview with and photographs of family members; creative response to Watson's work by Wiradjuri poet Jazz Money; and a map of north-west Queensland and photographs of sites of significance to aid audience's understanding of the connections between Watson's work and Country. It also features an up-to-date Exhibition history and Selected bibliography.
